Director You has been sleeping much better recently, no longer dreaming of the sound of a wooden fish being struck, as the work of the paper figure has temporarily ended. As a result, they’ve both found some relief.
However, Su Weisheng’s mood was far from pleasant.
The situation with Yuan Le was still not fully under his control, and his unruly great-grandson caused him endless worry every day, particularly this morning. When Su Weisheng awoke from sleep and checked his phone, he saw a text from Bai Songyin. His foul mood instantly hit its peak.
Bai Songyin, a.k.a “Not a Freeloader”: QAQ Grandpa, didn’t you say the talisman’s effects were completely undone? Why does Brother Ran still smell, and the whole house reeks of canned herring? It’s going to take at least a month before the stench clears.
Su Weisheng: “……” That house was now completely uninhabitable. Moreover, if Su Ran couldn’t get rid of the smell soon, he would have to attend a program with this canned herring-scented great-grandson.
How could this little rascal be so destructive?
Cursing under his breath, Su Weisheng opened his wallet. Excluding the funds reserved for buying jade blanks, his total current savings amounted to 1.42 million. Additionally, he had 30% of the membership revenue shares from «Another Side of Family Life» pending distribution. He also had fixed assets, including one small jade hammer, one jade candleholder, and ten antique items gifted from the underworld spanning various dynasties.
However, the revenue shares were a matter for the future, and he didn’t want to sell the collectible fixed assets. At present, the only cash he could use was this 1.42 million, which in Beijing was barely enough for the down payment on a 40-square-meter apartment.
So poor.jpg
The once-powerful High Priest awakened after an eternity only to find that his burial artifacts had been sold, the sacred mountain donated, and the grand ancestral home reduced to nothing but dust. All that remained were incompetent, wasteful descendants loitering around, being nothing but an eyesore. Miserable didn’t even begin to describe his state.
Sighing deeply, Su Weisheng murmured with a melancholic air, “Is this karma for bullying Si Ming and exploiting the loopholes in his assessment? I blame my youthful ignorance, believing the elders’ deceitful words that I, as the High Priest, was destined to ensure the Su family line would continue. If I were given another chance, forget exploiting loopholes to forcefully sustain the Su family—I’d straight up sacrifice the family genealogy to Si Ming, whether he wanted it or not!”
Descendants? What good were descendants when not a single one could accomplish anything, only adding to his frustrations?
As he cursed and muttered, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing an unknown number, Su Weisheng coldly picked up the call and answered with a frigid tone, “Who is it?”
“Hello, I’m Su Ping’s elder cousin, Su Ning,” came a clear and straightforward voice from the other end, introducing himself without preamble.
Hearing this, Su Weisheng sneered. Oh, so they sent the elder relative after him now? Just as he was looking for an outlet for his anger, a willing victim presented itself. However, even these fake descendants of the Su family didn’t seem to respect him—they didn’t even send an esteemed elder, but rather a young man? What, did they think someone junior could handle him?
He thought coldly to himself.
And in the next moment, he heard Su Ning complete his sentence: “How much money would it take to lift the curse on my useless younger brother? Just name your price.”
“…?”
Su Weisheng stared at the phone call interface, falling deep into thought. In just one second, his weakness had been targeted. This junior was truly formidable!
“What did you say your name was just now?” he asked.
Hearing the cold voice, Su Ning on the other end felt his heart tighten. Did he perhaps hit the wrong nerve and anger this great-grandfather? Clearing his throat, he tried to stay calm and navigate the conversation. “Hello, I’m Su Ning from the Su family in the capital, the son of the family’s Chief Elder. I mean no disrespect. If you have other requests, I am also willing to…”
Su Weisheng interrupted lightly, “Good name.”
Su Ning, caught completely off guard, was momentarily stunned and flustered. “Ah?… Uh, you’re too kind.”
“Hmm, your name is good. It has a connection to me,” Su Weisheng replied nonchalantly. “Let’s find a quiet place to meet. Bring along that useless younger brother of yours.”
“Y-yes, of course. Thank you,” Su Ning responded sincerely, quickly sending the address to Su Weisheng’s phone.
After hanging up, Su Weisheng saved Su Ning’s name in his phone. Looking at the address the young man sent, he sighed wistfully again. “Such a polite child—why must he be an impostor? If only he were really my great-grandson, that would be wonderful. When we meet, how about I discuss with the Su family in the capital about having Su Ran and Su Ning do an exchange? Swapping grandsons between the two families doesn’t sound too bad.”
Bug looked at him in speechless disbelief. “Are you truly saying it’s because you feel a connection to him? Or is it just because he’s so quick to throw money?”
Su Weisheng glanced at him and said, “Le’er, don’t expose the truth. Exposing it is considered bad. Do you understand? This word means lacking tact and being emotionally dense. You used to be quite clever and considerate—why have you become so unpleasantly annoying after shaping your personality to be like Si Ming?”
“You should learn some good things from Si Ming. Stop imitating his rigid temperament.”
Bug: “…”
Su Weisheng slammed the paper figure flat with a hammer, then removed his Amazonite bead bracelet, tossing it beside Bug. His tone was light, almost cheerful: “Le’er, guard the house properly. If you have nothing better to do, recite the Great Compassion Mantra to the bracelet. Wish yourself a peaceful departure sooner.”
The flattened paper figure struggled to crawl out from under the jade hammer. However, even though it emerged, the now-crushed paper was too weak to stand upright. It leaned against the hammer, glaring resentfully at Su Weisheng’s departing figure. “This is abuse of a spirit tool…”
The now-happy High Priest had already vanished without a trace.
Su Ning had provided an address to a luxury apartment in the capital city.
The two brothers, Su Qian and Su Nan, had been waiting at the residential area’s entrance for quite some time. The former was smoking pensively, while the latter leaned against the wall, vigilantly scanning every passerby, not letting anyone escape his notice. Clearly, the two of them approached this meeting with a heightened sense of caution.
Su Nan suddenly asked, “Brother, why do you think Brother Ning didn’t choose the Su family estate for the address, but instead picked a house that’s never been lived in? If it were at the Su family estate, in case this evil cultivator causes trouble, we could team up with a few elders to subdue him. It wouldn’t be so troublesome…”
“You’ve spent some time studying with Brother Ning now. Have you ever seen him curse someone?” Su Qian asked his younger brother.
Su Nan shook his head honestly.
Su Qian continued to ask, “And have you heard of any elders cursing people?”
Su Nan shook his head again.
Su Qian sighed as he looked at his brawny but clueless younger brother. “Brother Ning has way more wit than you. Does he even need your concern? It’s obvious—like Brother Ning said, the other side is definitely a big shot. If you bring him to the old family estate for an ambush, it’ll probably end with him wiping everyone out instead!”
A clear laugh suddenly came from behind them. “That’s unlikely. I don’t usually make a habit of exterminating entire families.”
The Su brothers, who hadn’t noticed any unfamiliar presence, turned around in terror. Standing less than half a meter away was a ghostly young man with black hair and a white shirt. He had appeared behind them without a sound, his presence eerie and elusive.
Sweat broke out on Su Qian’s back as he panicked and stammered an apology. Su Weisheng waved him off casually and started walking inside. His attitude was surprisingly calm. “Let’s go. Take me to see Su Ning.”
“This way, please,” the brothers quickly responded, leading the way.
The top floor of the building housed a spacious and bright luxury apartment, with an open layout designed in a minimalist black-and-white theme. Its aesthetic reflected the designer’s refined taste. Su Weisheng glanced around casually after entering and immediately noticed there were no signs that anyone had ever lived here.
“Mr. Su, hello.”
Across from him stood a handsome young man, his bright eyes filled with genuine warmth. Neither servile nor arrogant, he greeted Su Weisheng politely and enthusiastically invited him to sit in the study.
He didn’t rush straight to the matter of resolving Su Ping’s problem. Instead, he handed his guest a cup of freshly brewed tea with a smile and said, “My father loves tea. The leaves are from his stash, so the flavor should be decent. But my tea-brewing skills are average; I hope you don’t mind.”
Su Weisheng took the teacup, swirled it lightly, and didn’t comment, though his gaze lingered on Su Ning’s features for a long moment.
Su Ning, unfazed by the lack of response, showed no awkwardness. He didn’t harbor any resentment over the other’s presumed claim to the Su family name. Instead, he proactively brought up the topic himself: “Speaking of which, since you’re also a descendant of the Su family, that makes us kin, doesn’t it? It’s all because Su Ping is such an idiot and didn’t figure out the situation before he rashly caused trouble. You teaching him a lesson is well-deserved.”
Su Weisheng looked at the smooth-talking young man with an ambiguous smile and asked in return, “Don’t you think Su Ran and I are impostors pretending to be descendants of the Su family?”
Su Ning responded with genuine sincerity: “Given your abilities, why would you need to resort to impersonation? There must be some misunderstanding here. Besides, after this encounter, I’ve come to think—although I don’t know much about you—if you truly wanted to borrow the Su family’s identity, rather than impersonating, it’d be more in line with your character to wipe out our entire clan and declare yourself the rightful heir.”
His self-deprecating remark was blunt, yet carried a playful undertone, teasing Su Weisheng’s modus operandi. His words, however, were so skillfully delivered that they were nearly impossible to take offense at. His talents and intellect were exceptional; he could yield when needed and even make friends with rivals, which explained why he was the future successor of the Su family in the capital.
Naturally, Su Weisheng didn’t take offense. Looking at Su Ning’s likable demeanor, he asked, “With your cleverness, why are you so fixated on saving Su Ping? Is his status in the Su family particularly high?”
“Not at all,” Su Ning replied.
Su Ning said matter-of-factly, “What is he, really? Even if you struck him down with a bolt of lightning, he’d deserve it. I have two reasons for helping him out. First, I wanted to take this opportunity to meet you, a relative of the Su family, and make your acquaintance. Second…”
His expression turned a bit peculiar, his eyes darting back and forth. Finally, he couldn’t suppress the mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Like an old friend who had never met Su Weisheng before, he leaned in, unabashedly familiar, and whispered with a touch of mystery:
“There’s actually more to this story. I’m telling you this in confidence, so don’t spread it around, or the Su family will lose all its dignity. My dad would probably beat me to death…”
Su Weisheng: “Hmm?”
Su Ning began murmuring conspiratorially, “Here’s the thing, our family has this strong aversion to the idea of men being able to conceive. I have no idea why, but the moment my dad, my second uncle, third uncle, and fourth uncle found out Su Ping was pregnant, it was like the sky had fallen. I even saw my fourth uncle go to the ancestral hall and cry in front of the ancestor tablets for hours. I’m not sure exactly what he was lamenting, but I overheard a bit—it seemed like he was complaining about something…”
At this point, Su Ning’s eyes lit up with excitement, his love for gossip evident. “There’s definitely some hidden story here, maybe even a family secret that’s never been revealed!”
How pious—his “filial piety” was almost too much. Gossiping about his own father, uncles, and ancestors without missing a beat, he truly lived up to the title of “model offspring”. Just from his cheeky enthusiasm, he indeed resembled a descendant of the Su family.
Watching Su Ning animatedly share his theories, Su Weisheng’s expression became subtly and inexplicably odd.
Su Ning coughed and gradually returned to his normal demeanor, yet he couldn’t resist reminding Su Weisheng, “I’m only telling this to you. I haven’t told anyone else, so don’t spread it around.”
“Alright,” Su Weisheng nodded, then reminded him, “If you do manage to uncover the secret behind all this, make sure to share it with me.”
Su Ning’s curiosity was piqued. “You’re part of the Su family, too. Haven’t you heard of similar family secrets?”
Su Weisheng raised his eyes to look at him. The latter blinked innocently, wearing the kind of disappointed expression you’d expect from someone unable to piece together their family’s mysteries. But Su Weisheng was well aware that this crafty young man was testing him.
What a clever little fox.
That thought brought a slight arch to Su Weisheng’s brow. He wasn’t annoyed, nor did he follow Su Ning’s lead to steer the conversation in another direction. Instead, he calmly asked, “You’re meeting me solely to solve Su Ping’s trouble? Or are you also trying to uncover the truth about our familial connection?”
Su Ning’s smile faded.
He stared deeply at Su Weisheng, attempting to read his emotions and thoughts through subtle expressions. However, this man was far too inscrutable for him to decipher or manipulate. After some thought, Su Ning responded, “Both. Name your price.”
Su Weisheng chuckled lightly. Wily and calculating, yet honest when it mattered—a commendable trait.
Tapping his fingers on the table, Su Weisheng instructed, “Bring your family’s genealogy for me to take a look at.”
Su Ning frowned slightly, wanting to point out that the genealogy wasn’t something that could be casually presented. But as he glanced at this enigmatic cultivator, he realized that if he wanted to uncover the truth about this individual—whether he was an enemy or an ally, or his genuine relationship with the Su family—today was his only opportunity.
Outsiders might think this little ancestor is just an ordinary cultivator, like the ones from the Jiang family, the Su family, and other clans—impressive but not exceptionally rare. However, Su Ning was extremely cautious. He had immediately investigated every piece of footage related to this little great-grandfather, traced his movements, and confirmed every action he had taken.
Thus, Su Ning was certain that this man was extraordinarily powerful, far surpassing the elders of the Su family and even the combined strength of several other clans.
If he intended to do something malicious, he wouldn’t need to waste words here with Su Ning.
In just a moment, Su Ning’s mind raced through countless thoughts, and he quickly made a decision. He stood up and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll arrange for them to retrieve it.”
Su Ning stepped out, opened the study door, and whispered a few words to his two trusted aides. The two of them looked at him with astonished expressions, but ultimately nodded in agreement.
Su Weisheng calmly sipped his tea, his gaze sweeping outside with satisfaction. This child wasn’t just clever—he had leadership qualities too. Truly impressive, the more he observed, the more he liked him.
Setting down the teacup, Su Weisheng walked out, following the sound of continuous groaning. He eventually found himself in the bathroom of the living room, where a heavily pregnant Su Ping was clutching his enormous belly, vomiting uncontrollably, his vision blurred and his breathing labored.
Su Ning followed behind him. “Shall I clean up the smell before you go in?”
Su Weisheng raised his hand slightly, signaling that it wasn’t necessary. His cold gaze fell on Su Ping without a hint of emotion as he said, “You should know why you’re facing this calamity.”
Su Ping looked at him fearfully, instinctively wanting to shake his head and shift the blame. However, when his gaze met Su Ning’s cold, warning eyes, he quickly fell silent. He understood his elder cousin’s intentions—that admitting the truth was his only chance. Finally, swallowing hard and bracing himself, he said, “Yes…I know…EscapeStar caused trouble to stand up for me…”
Su Weisheng replied calmly, “That’s not all.”
Realizing there was no way to hide it anymore, Su Ping lowered his head and resignedly confessed, “While I appeared to be busy studying at Tingfeng Hall, I would occasionally hint to EscapeStar that he could act out and I’d cover for him. That’s why he dared to create such a mess…”
When he spoke to his elder cousin earlier, he had withheld some details. Now, standing before Su Weisheng, everything was laid bare.
Yet it was clear that neither Su Weisheng nor Su Ning found any of this surprising.
Su Weisheng said, “That is why you are jointly bearing the consequences of the oath he made. Su Ping, you are not innocent.”
“I was wrong…”
Su Ping broke down, sobbing uncontrollably in regret. “I was just so jealous. I was jealous of Su Ran, who can shamelessly flaunt himself and become a top star. And here I am, a child of the Su family, forbidden from standing out too much in public. I was too jealous, so I…”
Su Weisheng listened coldly to his tearful repentance, remaining utterly unmoved.
Behind him, Su Ning spoke softly, “The family provides every member with the best education and a privileged upbringing. The strictest rule is to avoid drawing excessive attention to ourselves under the Su name in front of ordinary people. Yet, there’s always someone vain and foolish enough to go out and cause trouble. My apologies for the embarrassment.”
Su Ping had already fainted.
The torment of the past few days had left him utterly exhausted—both mentally and physically, the damage was more than enough.
Su Weisheng casually soaked a charm in a cup of water and gestured to Su Ning, “Feed this to him. The oath will be lifted.”
Su Ning suddenly understood. “Ah, it’s not a curse, but an oath-binding. This is on par with the Big Boss tier. No wonder even the elders working together couldn’t break it.”
“Big Boss?” Su Weisheng looked at him with a peculiar expression.
Su Ning poured the charm water into Su Ping, washed his hands, and easily explained, “It’s a gaming term I picked up. It generally refers to someone whose actual skill level is vastly above the rest. Like in a 5v5 game, when one person wipes out the entire opposing team single-handedly—hence, the Big Boss.”
Su Weisheng nodded thoughtfully.
Not long after, Su Ping’s bulging pregnant belly gradually deflated until it returned to a normal size, stopping only when he appeared completely ordinary again. At that moment, Su Nan and Su Qian hurried back as well.
Su Ning handed the genealogy book to Su Weisheng. “Please take a look.”
Su Weisheng took it, weighed it in his hands, and his eyes revealed a trace of surprise. This wasn’t the Su family’s original lineage record passed down through generations. That wasn’t surprising, though, as the true genealogy book had already been taken from Su Ran by him.
Yet this wasn’t a counterfeit genealogy either. It was a carefully rewritten copy based on the genuine record.
The genealogy appeared to have a long history, beginning with the earliest ancestors of the Su family and accurately continuing all the way to Su Weisheng’s generation without a single mistake. But the records took a turn when they reached Su Laijin and Su Laiyin.
Su Laijin’s lineage was blank beyond his generation;
Yet Su Laiyin, who was known to have no interest in women, surprisingly had descendants—three sons and two daughters, whose lines continued to flourish generation after generation. The number of offspring dwindled in later generations, but thanks to the prolificacy of the earlier ones, by Su Ning’s generation, the family was still thriving.
Su Weisheng flipped through the genealogy, looked at Su Ning, and then flipped back to the genealogy, his expression growing increasingly peculiar.
Su Ning felt a chill under his gaze, instinctively touched his cheek, and asked uncertainly, “Is there something wrong?”
Su Weisheng slowly spoke, “You bear a striking resemblance to your ancestor.”
“Oh…uh, yeah, my dad says the same,” Su Ning was caught off guard by the unexpected remark but, following his principle that sincerity was the ultimate weapon, he moved to the sofa beside Su Weisheng with a smile and said, “My dad mentioned that he’d seen photos of our ancestor and I’m the most similar to them in this generation—in both appearance and temperament.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the name of the ancestor: “Su Laiyin, that’s the one.”
“…Hmm.” Su Weisheng nodded. That explained why he had scrutinized Su Ning so thoroughly at first glance. It was clear from the beginning—this wasn’t a pretender to the Su family. The young man carried the genuine bloodline of his family.
But Su Laiyin—someone who didn’t pursue romantic relationships—where did the children come from? He couldn’t have fathered them with women, that much was certain. So, where on earth did these children originate, and why were there so many? Most intriguingly, it seemed that after his death, Su Laiyin had somehow ensured his bloodline broke away and established a separate branch of the Su family.
Could it be that after passing the Su family to Laijin, Laiyin suddenly had a surge of ambition and felt dissatisfied? That wouldn’t make sense—he was never one to bother with family affairs.
Su Weisheng shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out, no matter how hard he tried.
“Do you have any thoughts on this, Mr. Su?” Su Ning asked, tentatively testing the waters.
Su Weisheng glanced at him, then casually tossed the genealogy back to him and instructed, “Don’t call me Mr. Su anymore. From now on, call me great-grandfather, just like Su Ran does.”
“Huh?” Su Ning was dumbfounded. He hadn’t even figured out if this person was an enemy or an ally, and now he suddenly had a great-grandfather?
Su Weisheng explained, “You’re a descendant of Laiyin’s branch, and Su Ran is a descendant of Laijin’s branch. Both of you carry the Su family’s direct bloodline—there’s no forgery. As for me…” He looked down at Su Ning and repeated with an authoritative tone, “I am the biological great-grandfather of both of you.”
Not bad at all, he thought. Thankfully, he’d exploited a bug to leave behind descendants back in the day.
Because two centuries later, it wasn’t just Su Ran, that thoughtless troublemaker who gave his ancestors a headache—he also had Su Ning, a clever, capable, and perceptive great-grandson to brighten his day.
With joy, he reached out to ruffle his new great-grandson’s hair and said, “Still, even among close family, things must be clear. Helping you untangle the Su family’s lineage and resolving Su Ping’s oath issue doesn’t come free. Great-grandfather won’t ask for much—just this apartment will do.”
“Arrange for this place to be completely renovated. Choose a style that’s easy on the eyes, and I’ll move in afterward. Hmm, you can handle the design; Great-grandfather trusts your taste, Ning Ning.” The tone the High Priest used to address his great-grandson was so gentle—an indulgence Su Ran had never experienced.
Su Ning was utterly stunned. All his wit and intellect were rendered useless under the barrage of Su Weisheng’s words. After a long pause, he finally reacted and hesitantly called out, “Great-grandfather?”
“Hmm.” Su Weisheng acknowledged, then, after some thought, added, “For now, call me Great-grandfather. If new discoveries arise in the future, we’ll revisit this.”
The remark was somewhat cryptic.
However, due to the gap in information, Su Ning didn’t grasp its deeper meaning.
He was simply holding the genealogy book in bewilderment, thinking to himself, What the heck—the guy capable of wiping out their entire clan is actually my biological Great-grandfather? Is this for real?
Su Weisheng didn’t forget to remind him: “Oh, and earlier, you mentioned wanting to dig into the family’s hidden secrets, didn’t you? Do a thorough job, and share your findings with Great-grandfather when you’re done.”
“…Oh,” Su Ning responded absentmindedly.
Meanwhile, far away in the company dormitory, where he was resting and reeking, the troublemaker Su Ran had no idea what had just transpired.
